ONE 168: Denver had a bit of a rocky few days before the event but delivered a massive show complete with compelling stories and finishes throughout the night.

As the days approached ONE Championship’s second event in the United States, it was announced that the blockbuster pairing of grappling savants Mikey Musumeci and Kade Ruotolo was no longer going to be part of the card as the latter revealed that he is recovering from injuries. It was then announced that Musumeci was going to defend his ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Title against a former rival in 2024 IBJJF World Champion Bebeto Oliveira. 

Unfortunately, “Darth Rigatoni” failed to pass weight and hydration and was thus stripped of his belt even before it happened. Hours before the event, it was reported that the American will ultimately not compete. He later revealed on Instagram that he had a torn lung and that competing in a match would have been life-threatening.

Nonetheless, the event pushed through with plenty of action and drama.  

ONE 168: Denver lived up to the expectations and witnessed some outstanding performances

In the main event, “The Kicking Machine” Superlek Kiatmoo9 blew the roof off Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado as he knocked out Jonathan “The General” Haggerty shortly after the opening bell of their battle for the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship. The highly anticipated matchup between two of the best pound-for-pound strikers was expected to end in a knockout, but no one could have predicted that it would end so fast. 

The pair sized each other up to start the contest, and when they did clash, “The Kicking Machine” landed a booming elbow right to the defending champ’s temple. “The General” tried to recover but ultimately couldn’t answer the referee’s eight count. With the win, Superlek joined rare company as a two-sport and two-division World Champion.

The penultimate bout of the card was also as good as advertised, as Liam “Hitman” Harrison and Seksan “The Man Who Yields To No One” Or Kwanmuang produced fireworks in their match. Harrison showed flashes of his signature striking prowess but couldn’t seem to take Seksan apart. “The Man Who Yields To No One” absorbed the Englishman’s best shots and threw his own bombs.

In the second round, the Thai star put Harrison on the canvas for the first time. “Hitman” managed to get up and tried to mount some offense, but it wasn’t long before he got dropped for a second time. Finally, at the 1:49 mark of the second, the Or Kwanmuang representative ended the match with a third knockdown. Following the match, Harrison laid his gloves in the middle of the Circle and later confirmed that he was calling it a career.

The event also bore witness to the official end of Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson’s illustrious MMA career as the ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion announced his retirement from the sport. ONE Championship honored him by naming him the first person to be inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame. 

By the end of the night, seven of the nine bouts ended in a finish, with six fighters claiming US$50,000 bonuses for their exceptional performances. 

A closer look at what happened at ONE 168: Denver

Here is the full result of ONE 168: 

Superlek Kiatmoo9 defeats Jonathan Haggerty via KO (right elbow) at 0:49 of round one to claim the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title

Seksan Or Kwanmuang defeats Liam Harrison via TKO (overhand right – three knockdowns in a round) at 1:49 of round two (Muay Thai – catchweight 140 lbs)

Shamil Erdogan defeats Aung La N Sang via TKO (referee stoppage – ground and pound) at 2:48 of round two (MMA – catchweight 213.75 lbs)

John Lineker defeats Asa Ten Pow via KO (right hook) at 2:50 of round two (Muay Thai – bantamweight)

Victoria Souza defeats Alyse Anderson via unanimous decision (MMA – atomweight)

 Isi Fitikefu defeats Hiroyuki Tetsuka via unanimous decision (MMA – welterweight)

Adrian Lee defeats Nico Cornejo via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:37 of round one (MMA – lightweight)

Johan Ghazali defeats Josue Cruz via KO (left hook) at 3:00 of round one (Muay Thai – catchweight 142 lbs)

Johan Estupinan defeats Sean Climaco via TKO (3 knockdowns in a round) at 1:28 of round two (Muay Thai – flyweight)